My Wife Wants a Divorce by Red Little Fruit

"I know you won't marry their daughter, but you happened to strike their fancy," Sydney pouted. Julien pinched her nose, "I've never heard anything about that. How did Mrs. Chase get that?"

Julien was baffled as to why he knew it later than others. He was the one they wanted!

"She heard it from the Ward family." Instead of keeping Julien in suspense, Sydney confessed everything Mrs. Chase had told her. Learning the situation, Julien scowled his displeasure and snorted, "The Ward family, they are really something!"

He knew that this family was in the seafood business.

But they were not the hot shot in this line as there were a lot of seafood merchants in Port City, and the competition was fierce.

Besides, the Ward family was an unscrupulous trader who cheated consumers with underhanded tricks, including passing off spoiled seafood as fresh or farmed seafood as wild.

Over time, someone who could not stand it reported them to the authorities.

The Ward family then was in trouble. The authorities shut down lots of their docks and markets.

And they were going out of business.

Julien heard they were pulling strings and planned to settle the matter through a marriage alliance with a powerful family in Port City.

He didn't take it seriously because he thought the matter had nothing to do with him.

Unexpectedly, he was the one the Ward family wanted!

'Humph! How brave they are!'

In Port City, many powerful families wanted to connect with Julien. All of them were more dignified than the Ward family. But did they have the guts to mention marriage alliance in front of him? Of course, they did not!

Even if they did have that intention, they would not dare to show the inclination, let alone carry it out.

The Ward family was not a patch on these families but was braver than them. This family not only had the intention to connect with Julien but also put it into action. They even asked Mr. Chase about Julien's relationship status.

The more Julien thought about it, the angrier he grew.

Sydney could read his mind at his sullen face and the apathy that exuded from him.

She knew he was trying to figure out what to do with this family.

Looking at his cold face, Sydney asked, "You want to go after the Ward family?"

Instead of denying it, Julien patted her on the head.

Sydney shook her head and said, "I think you'd better not."

Julien knitted his brows, "Why?"

"Because the Ward family did nothing." Sydney pulled his hand off her head and took it in her hand.

Her hands were cold in winter, while his hands were warm.

Consequently, she often held his warm hands as hand warmers.

"They have done nothing in front of you so far, though they do have the intention. Do you know what people will say about you if you go after the Ward family without proof?"

"I don't care," Julien said nonchalantly, “I just want to nip the plot in the bud."

"I know." Sydney released his hand, held his waist, and nestled her head on his chest. "But I don't want them to misunderstand you. You already have a bad reputation in commercial circles. Do you like them call you tyrannical ruler or villainous capitalist?"

Julien kept silent, and his frown deepened.

He certainly knew the nicknames given to him by his business rivals.

But he never cared about that.

He thought it was a way for incompetent losers to show their anger.

"I don't like to hear that anyway. They haven't done anything to actually offend you. Your rivals will discredit you with harsh words if you go after the Ward family now. It will make people afraid of you. Also, those who don't know you will distance themselves further. I know you're powerful and don't need any alliances. But one may suffer losses by his isolation. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. You pretend to be ignorant of this issue until they act out. Mrs. Chase said it's also possible they might be interested in someone else."

"Anyway, I'm one of the men they had their eye on, even if they might list other candidates. Do you mind the Ward family?" Julien asked.

"Of course, I do." Sydney nodded and said, “I wouldn't be mad if I didn't care. But I cannot attack them just because they're interested in you. That's ridiculous. If they had done something, I wouldn't prevent you from going after them. But the fact is quite the opposite: they haven't. So, instead of attacking them, I just dislike them. Besides, the Ward family is not the only one who wants to connect with you. It's just that the others are well-disguised, but the Ward family isn't. Should I have you deal with all the people who are interested in you?"

If that were the case, Julien and Sydney would become the targets of criticism.

And the others would be the winners, not the two of them.

Hearing that, Julien said, "Leaf, people sometimes may pay a price for being too kind." There was gentleness and resignation in his eyes as he looked at her.

"I know," Sydney replied, with a smile, "But I'll stick to my original thesis. If no real harm has been done to me, I will pretend not to know. I will not take the initiative to attack others. What's the difference between me and Brandon and Lyra if I attack people for ideas they haven't acted on? I don't want to be like that. There's nothing wrong with being kind."

Julien rested his chin on her head and said in a gentle and husky voice, "All right, you win."

Sydney tried to look up at him.

However, he held her so tightly that she could hardly lift her head. Seeing his pretty chin, she said, "You cannot let down guard anyway. Mrs. Chase told me that the Ward family managed to get the invitation just to hook up with the magnates. If they didn't set you up, that's great. But if they did, you must hold onto yourself. Mrs. Chase said men could not resist the women who throw themselves at them."

Hearing that, Julien was amused and angry, "Come on, do you think I'm a superficial man? God, what does Mrs. Chase take me for?"

Sydney smiled at him, "Well, don't give it another thought. She told me all this out of kindness."

"Well, even if so, forget it. You didn't take it seriously, did you?"